The Portland daily press., 1887-04-04
A PAlATIAL TRAIN.
Cars Lighted by Electricity and
Heated by the Engines Steam.

Steam heating from the engine and the
electric lighting are sure to be safe comforts
of the railroad travelling of the future. The
Boston and Albany road has succeeded in
running from Boston to New York an ex-
press train so heated and lighted, and the
train is to be permanent conveyance.
The steam heating is done by the Martin
system, which, like the Sewell, takes the
the steam from the engine and conveys it
through the ears by pipes
The eclectric lighting on this train is a
highly Interesting success, and naturally at
tracts more attention than the heating. The
brilliant and cheerful effect of the incandes-
cent light in any room is familiar, but in the
cars,-which have heretofore been rather
rendered dismal than Illuminated by kero-
sene lamps with alternate spots of gloom,
the effect is surprising. Each car has q
double row of lamps depending from the
ceiling 10 in the main saloon, one in each
vestibule and closet, and one on each plat
form outside-these last being lighted only
at the stations, where they are both con-
Yenience and safeguard against accident.
The clearness of the air in the cars was
noticed at once, and reading was perfectly
easy. The operation of the light is probably
now generally understood. The system used
is the Julien, which has been operated to
some extent in Europe and is controlled in
this country by the Julien electric light COM
pany OF New I 0rk. A julien storage battery
of 60 cells, weighing about one ton, and thus
making material addition to the weight of
a train, is placed beneath each car in the
centre, and is charged from dynamo while
the car is stationery. The battery beneath
the baggage car is of half the capacity, or 80
cells running II lamps. The capacity of
each cell is $50 ampere hours, the electro-mo-
tive force volts, and the working capacity
800 volt ampere hours.-called watts" for
short, This technicality is inserted for the
advantage of scientific accuracy, though it
will be nothing short of Greek to the public
The lamps used are the Weston incandescent
of 16 candle power, and as each 16-candIe
lamp uses about 70 watts each cell will give
four lamp hours, and the 60 cells 240 lamp
hours. This is to say each battery will run
20 lamps for II hours or "a for 10 hours. 1t is
sufficient at this time of year to charge the
batteries at one end of the trip, and they will
be charged in Boston: while as the battery
increase in strength by use it is thought
probable that by next winter their capaci-
ty will still prove equal to the longer
period during which light will be required.
Should it prove necessary the batteries can
of course be charged at New York for the re-
turn, but at present the round trip will be
made with the electricity stored at Boston.
The cost of 10 hours service for the % lamps
in each car is but So. The battery for each
car costs $3.50, and is guaranteed for two
years; at the end of this time if it should be
found necessary to replace the negative
plates, that will cost $500; but it is thought
unlikely that the negative plates will be used
up in two years, while the positive plates do
not have to be replaced at all.